U.S. patent number 7,783,590 [Application Number 11/393,827] was granted by the patent office on 2010-08-24 for task selection apparatus and task selection assistance method.
This patent grant is currently assigned to NTT DoCoMo, Inc.. Invention is credited to Yusuke Fukazawa, Shoji Kurakake, Takefumi Naganuma.
United States Patent |
7,783,590 |
Fukazawa , et al. |
August 24, 2010 |
Task selection apparatus and task selection assistance method
Abstract
The present invention provides a task selection assistance
apparatus, and a task selection assistance method, which enable
burdens on a user to be alleviated in selecting a task for solving
a problem. A domain candidate determining portion 210 determines
domain candidates to be presented to the user from among domains
stored in a task model DB 102, and a domain candidate transmitting
portion 201 transmits the domain candidates to a portable terminal
101. A user selected domain obtaining portion 203 obtains a domain,
which has been selected by the user, from the portable terminal
101, and the task candidate determining portion 211 determines task
candidates to be presented to the user from among tasks stored in
the task model DB 102 based on the domain selected by the user.
Inventors: |
Fukazawa; Yusuke (Yokosuka,
JP), Naganuma; Takefumi (Yokosuka, JP),
Kurakake; Shoji (Yokohama, JP) |
Assignee: |
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (Chiyoda-ku,
JP)
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Family
ID: |
36293279 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/393,827 |
Filed: |
March 31, 2006 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20060223509 A1 |
Oct 5, 2006 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Mar 31, 2005 [JP] |
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2005-103085 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.13;
455/414.3; 718/108; 718/102; 718/107; 704/10; 704/275; 718/106;
704/270; 709/203; 704/9; 718/1; 455/456.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
10/10 (20130101); G06Q 10/06311 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
7/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;704/9,10,270,275
;707/2-6 ;705/9 ;455/414.3 ;709/203 ;718/1,100-108 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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0 853 287 |
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Jul 1998 |
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EP |
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1427226 |
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Jun 2004 |
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EP |
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8-115361 |
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May 1996 |
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JP |
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WO 01/35678 |
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May 2001 |
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WO |
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WO 2004/040923 |
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May 2004 |
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WO |
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Other References
Yusuke Fukazawa et al., "A Framework for Task Retrieval in
Task-Oriented Service Navigation System", OTM Workshops 2005, LNCS
3762, pp. 876-885, Nov. 2005. cited by other .
Yusuke Fukazawa et al., "A Study of Task-model based Service
Knowledge Searching Methodology", vol. 105, No. 80, ISSN 0913-5685,
pp. 63-68, May 2005. cited by other .
Yusuke Fukazawa et al., "A study of predicting user's task based on
task-model towards realizing advanced service navigation system",
vol. 2006 No. 2, ISSN 0919-6072, pp. 35-42, Jan. 2006. cited by
other .
European Search Report (in English) dated Apr. 24, 2006 (Six (6)
Pages). cited by other .
Japanese Office Action w/Translation. cited by other .
Tadashi Okamine, "Interpretation of user context for assisting task
selection in service navigation system", IPSJ SIG Technical Report,
Information Processing Society of Japan, Mar. 18, 2005, vol. 2005
No. 28, pp. 209-215 (Partial Translation). cited by other.
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Primary Examiner: Hudspeth; David R
Assistant Examiner: Spooner; Lamont M
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Crowell & Moring LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A task selection assistance apparatus for assisting a user to
select a task, the task selection assistance apparatus comprising a
task selection assistance server communicable with a portable
terminal, the task selection assistance server including: task
model storing means for storing one or more tasks each indicating
an action to be taken by the user to solve the user's problem in
association with one or more pieces of attribute information each
indicating an attribute of a task; attribute candidate determining
means for determining one or more attribute information candidates
to be presented to the user from the one or more pieces of
attribute information stored in the task model storing means; user
selected attribute obtaining means for obtaining the one or more
pieces of attribute information selected by the user from the one
or more attribute information candidates determined by the
attribute candidate determining means; and task candidate
determining means for determining one or more task candidates to be
presented to the user from the one or more tasks stored in the task
model storing means, based on the one or more pieces of attribute
information obtained by the user selected attribute obtaining
means, wherein the one or more task candidates can be narrowed down
with the one or more pieces of attribute information including: a
domain that is subject location information indicating a location
subject to a task; and a task phase, and wherein the task phase
includes an executing phase and a planning phase, the task in the
executing phase is expected to be accomplished in the domain, the
task in the planning phase is expected to be accomplished in other
locations than the domain, and the task which is expected to be
accomplished in a location independent of the domain is applicable
to both of the executing and planning phases.
2. The task selection assistance apparatus according to claim 1,
further comprising user location information obtaining means for
obtaining from the portable terminal the user location information
indicating the user's location, wherein the attribute candidate
determining means determines one or more pieces of the subject
location information to be preferentially presented to the user
based on the user location information obtained by the user
location information obtaining means.
3. The task selection assistance apparatus according to claim 1,
further comprising task phase determining means for determining the
task phase desired by the user, by comparing the user location
information obtained by the user location information obtaining
means to the one or more pieces of the subject location
information, which is the domain included in the attribute
information and which is obtained by the user selected attribute
obtaining means, wherein the task candidate determining means
determines the one or more task candidates to be preferentially
presented to the user, based on the task phase determined by the
task phase determining means, and wherein the task phase
determining means determines that the user desires the task in the
executing phase when the user location information corresponds to
the domain that is the subject location information selected by the
user, and determines that the user desires the task in the planning
phase when the user location information does not correspond to the
domain that is the subject location information selected by the
user.
4. The task selection assistance apparatus according to claim 1,
further comprising query obtaining means for obtaining a query
inputted by the user to search for a desired task, wherein the task
candidate determining means determines the one or more task
candidates to be preferentially presented to the user, based on the
query obtained by the query obtaining means.
5. The task selection assistance apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the attribute information further includes an environmental
condition around the user, and further comprising sensor
information obtaining means for obtaining one or more pieces of
sensor information measured by one or more sensors which measure
the environmental condition around the user, wherein the task
candidate determining means determines the one or more task
candidates to be preferentially presented to the user, based on the
one or more pieces of sensor information obtained by the sensor
information obtaining means and the one or more pieces of attribute
information obtained by the user selected attribute obtaining
means.
6. The task selection assistance apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the task model storing means has data items including: a
task ID; a parent task ID; the task; the domain; the task phase;
and weather sensor.
7. The task selection assistance apparatus according to claim 1,
further comprising: a task candidate transmitting portion that
transmits the one or more task candidates determined by the task
candidate determining means to a portable terminal in order to
present the one or more task candidates to the user; and a user
selected task obtaining portion that obtains a task selected by the
user operating the portable terminal from the one or more task
candidates transmitted by the task candidate transmitting
portion.
8. The task selection assistance apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the portable terminal includes a location sensor.
9. A task selection assistance method for assisting a user to
select a task, the task selection assistance method comprising: a
subject location candidate obtaining step of obtaining one or more
subject location information candidates to be presented to the user
from a task model database storing one or more tasks each
indicating an action to be taken by the user to solve the user's
problem in association with one or more pieces of subject location
information each indicating a location subject to a task; a user
location from a portable terminal of the user information obtaining
step of obtaining user location information indicating the user's
location; a rearranging step of rearranging the one or more subject
location information candidates obtained in the subject location
candidate obtaining step so that one or more pieces of subject
location information corresponding to the user location information
obtained in the user location information obtaining step is located
at higher level; and a subject location presenting step of
presenting the one or more subject location information candidates
rearranged in the rearranging step to the user, and a task
candidate determining step of determining one or more task
candidates to be presented to the user from the task model
database, wherein the one or more task candidates can be narrowed
down with the one or more pieces of attribute information
including: a domain that is subject location information indicating
a location subject to a task: and a task phase, and wherein the
task phase includes an executing phase and a planning phase, the
task in the executing phase is expected to be accomplished in the
domain, the task in the planning phase is expected to be
accomplished in other locations than the domain, and the task which
is expected to be accomplished in a location independent of the
domain is applicable to both of the executing and planning
phases.
10. The task selection assistance method according to claim 9,
further comprising: a user selected subject location information
obtaining step of obtaining one or more pieces of subject location
information selected by the user from the one or more subject
location information candidates presented to the user in the
subject location presenting step; and the task candidate
determining step of determining one or more task candidates to be
presented to the user from the task model database is based the one
or more pieces of subject location information obtained in the user
selected subject location information obtaining step.
11. The task selection assistance method according to claim 9,
wherein the portable terminal includes a location sensor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a task selection assistance
apparatus, and a task selection assistance method, for assisting a
user in selecting a task for solving a problem.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various techniques have been proposed to assist a
user in solving a problem.
For example, JP8-115361A (paragraph 0016, and FIG. 1) has proposed
a system which provides services depending on each individual user
based on the popularity of the service used by the user. However,
in the system described in JP8-115361A, the user is required to
input a service identifier and a user identifier to a terminal in
order to be served by the system. Therefore, the user must have an
advance understanding of a service for solving a problem, and the
system described in JP8-115361A would be inconvenience for a user
who does not have the advance understanding of the service for
solving the problem.
There has been another approach for helping a user to search for
desired tasks or services for solving problems by defining actions
to be taken by the user to solve his or her problem as tasks. In
such an approach, the user navigates through tasks in a
hierarchical structure displayed on a terminal to find a task for
solving a problem.
However, it is not easy for a user to search for a desired task
among a large number of menu items and/or tasks through a
complicated hierarchical structure displayed on a terminal.
Particularly when the user uses a portable terminal to search for a
task, a fair amount of time has been consumed in doing so,
burdening the user, because of a small screen and poor operability
of the portable terminal.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing
problems, and it is an object of the invention to provide a task
selection assistance apparatus, and a task selection assistance
method, which enable burdens on a user to be alleviated in
selecting a task for solving a problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the foregoing problems, according to an aspect of
the invention of claim 1, there is provided a task selection
assistance apparatus, comprising: task model storing means for
storing one or more tasks each indicating an action to be taken by
a user to solve his or her problem and one or more pieces of
attribute information each indicating an attribute of a task, the
stored one or more tasks and the stored one or more pieces of
attribute information being associated with each other; attribute
candidate determining means for determining one or more attribute
information candidates to be presented to the user from among the
one or more pieces of attribute information stored in the task
model storing means; user selected attribute obtaining means for
obtaining one or more pieces of attribute information selected by
the user from the one or more attribute information candidates
determined by the attribute candidate determining means; and task
candidate determining means for determining one or more task
candidates to be presented to the user from among the one or more
tasks stored in the task model storing means, based on the one or
more pieces of attribute information obtained by the user selected
attribute obtaining means.
According to the arrangement, the task selection assistance
apparatus first determines candidates for attribute information of
tasks to be presented to the user, and then determines candidates
for the tasks based on the attribute information selected by the
user from the determined candidates for the attribute information,
so that the tasks to be presented to the user can be narrowed down
using attribute information, and burdens on the user can be
alleviated in selecting the task.
According to an aspect of the invention of claim 2, in the task
selection assistance apparatus according to claim 1, each of the
one or more pieces of attribute information is subject location
information indicating a location subject to the task.
According to the arrangement, the attribute information is subject
location information indicating a location subject to the task.
This allows the task candidates to be narrowed down depending on a
location subject to the task for solving a problem, and appropriate
tasks to be presented to the user. Therefore, burdens on the user
may be alleviated in selecting a task.
According to an aspect of the invention of claim 3, in the task
selection assistance apparatus according to claim 2, further
comprising user location information obtaining means for obtaining
user location information indicating a user location, the attribute
candidate determining means determines one or more pieces of
subject location information to be preferentially presented to the
user based on the user location information obtained by the user
location information obtaining means.
According to the arrangement, the task selection assistance
apparatus determines subject location information to be
preferentially presented to the user based on user location
information, and therefore, subject location information which is
likely to be desired by the user may be preferentially presented to
the user depending on the user location. Therefore, burdens on the
user may be alleviated in selecting a task.
According to an aspect of the invention of claim 4, in the task
selection assistance apparatus according to claim 2, further
comprising task phase determining means for determining a task
phase desired by the user, by comparing the user location
information obtained by the user location information obtaining
means to the one or more subject location information obtained by
the user selected attribute obtaining means, the task candidate
determining means determines one or more task candidates to be
preferentially presented to the user, based on the task phase
determined by the task phase determining means.
According to the arrangement, the task selection assistance
apparatus can determine a task phase desired by the user, and
determine task candidates to be preferentially presented to the
user based on the determined task phase. This allows tasks which
are accomplished in a phase desired by the user, such as an
executing phase and a planning phase, to be preferentially
presented to the user. Therefore, burdens on the user may be
alleviated in selecting a task.
According to an aspect of the invention of claim 5, in the task
selection assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising query obtaining means for obtaining a query inputted by
the user to search for a desired task, the task candidate
determining means determines the one or more task candidates to be
preferentially presented to the user, based on the query obtained
by the query obtaining means.
According to the arrangement, the task selection assistance
apparatus can determine task candidates to be preferentially
presented to the user based on a query inputted by the user. This
allows tasks desired by the user to be preferentially presented to
the user. Therefore, burdens on the user may be alleviated in
selecting a task.
According to an aspect of the invention of claim 6, in the task
selection assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising sensor information obtaining means for obtaining one or
more pieces of sensor information measured by one or more sensors
which measure environmental conditions around the user, the task
candidate determining means determines the one or more task
candidates to be preferentially presented to the user, based on the
one or more pieces of sensor information obtained by the sensor
information obtaining means.
According to the arrangement, the task selection assistance
apparatus can determine task candidates to be preferentially
presented to the user based on sensor information. This allows
tasks which are appropriate for environmental conditions around the
user to be preferentially presented to the user. Therefore, burdens
on the user may be alleviated in selecting a task.
According to an aspect of the invention of claim 7, there is
provided a task selection assistance method, comprising: a subject
location candidate obtaining step of obtaining one or more subject
location information candidates to be presented to a user from a
task model database storing one or more tasks each indicating an
action to be taken by the user to solve his or her problem and one
or more pieces of subject location information each indicating a
location subject to a task, the stored one or more tasks and the
stored one or more pieces of subject location information being
associated with each other; a user location information obtaining
step of obtaining user location information indicating a user
location; a rearranging step of rearranging the one or more subject
location information candidates obtained in the subject location
candidate obtaining step so that one or more pieces of subject
location information corresponding to the user location information
obtained in the user location information obtaining step is located
at higher level; and a subject location presenting step of
presenting the one or more subject location information candidates
rearranged in the rearranging step to the user.
According to the method, subject location information candidates
can be rearranged so that subject location information corresponds
to user location information indicating a user location is located
at higher level, and therefore, subject location information which
is likely to be desired by the user at the current location may be
preferentially presented to the user. Therefore, burdens on the
user may be alleviated in selecting a task.
According to an aspect of the invention of claim 8, in the task
selection assistance method according to claim 7, the method
further comprises: a user selected subject location information
obtaining step of obtaining one or more pieces of subject location
information selected by the user from the one or more subject
location information candidates presented to the user in the
subject location presenting step; and a task candidate determining
step of determining one or more task candidates to be presented to
the user from the task model database, based on the one or more
pieces of subject location information obtained in the user
selected subject location information obtaining step.
According to the method, task candidates may be narrowed down based
on subject location information selected by the user to present to
the user, and therefore, task candidates which are likely to be
desired by the user may be presented to the user depending on the
user location. Therefore, burdens on the user may be alleviated in
selecting a task.
According to the present invention, the task selection assistance
apparatus first determines candidates for attribute information of
tasks to be presented to the user, and then determines candidates
for the tasks based on the attribute information selected by the
user from the determined candidates for the attribute information,
so that the tasks to be presented to the user can be narrowed down
using attribute information, and burdens on the user can be
alleviated in selecting the task.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a task selection assistance system
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows an example of a data arrangement in the task model DB
according to the embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a task selection assistance server
according to the embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to the
embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an example process of determining domain
candidates according to the embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example process of determining task
candidates according to the embodiment;
FIG. 7 shows an example of a display screen on a portable terminal
according to the embodiment; and
FIG. 8 shows an example of another display screen on a portable
terminal according to the embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with
reference to the drawings.
[1. Configuration]
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a task selection assistance system
as a whole. As shown in FIG. 1, the task selection assistance
system includes a task selection assistance server 100, which is a
server for assisting a user in selecting a task for solving a
problem, and a portable terminal 101 belonging to the user. The
task selection assistance server 100 and the portable terminal 101
are connected together through a communication network such as a
mobile communication network and the Internet or the like. The task
selection assistance server 100 manages a task model database
(hereinafter referred to as "task model DB") 102 which stores task
models.
[1.1. Configuration of Task Selection Assistance Server]
The configuration of the task selection assistance server 100 will
now be described. Hardware arrangements of the task selection
assistance server 100 include a central processing unit (CPU), a
read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk
device, and communication interfaces, and also have other hardware
arrangements of a typical computer. The hard disk device of the
task selection assistance server 100 stores various types of
software such as programs and databases.
[1.1.1. Configuration of Task Model DB]
The hard disk device of the task selection assistance server 100
stores the task model DB (task model storing means) 102. The task
model DB 102 is a database which stores information related to
tasks. As used herein, the term "task" refers to an action to be
taken by a user to solve his or her problem.
FIG. 2 shows a data arrangement in the task model DB 102. As shown
in FIG. 2, data items of the task model DB 102 include "task ID,"
"parent task ID," "task," "domain," "task phase," and "weather
sensor."
The data item "task ID" is a number identifying a task. Here, the
task ID is intended to be a unique integer for each of all the
tasks.
The data item "parent task ID" is a number indicating a
parent-child relationship (dependency) between tasks. For example,
the task "Search for titles now on screen" corresponding to the
task ID "1001" has the parent task "Go to a movie" corresponding to
the task ID "1000," and therefore, the task ID "1000" of "Go to a
movie" is stored in the parent task ID of the task "Search for
titles now on screen."
The task "Go to a movie" corresponding to the task ID "1000" is the
topmost task. The parent task ID of the topmost task stores
"0."
Further, it is conceivable that a task such as the task "Have a
meal during a waiting time" has two or more parent tasks, including
the tasks "Go to a movie" and "Enjoy in a theme park." In this
case, as shown in FIG. 2, the parent task ID of the task "Have a
meal during a waiting time" is represented using an OR symbol "V."
In this case, there may be multiple domains, and the domains are
similarly indicated using an OR symbol "V."
The data item "task" is a defined task content.
The data item "domain" is subject location information (hereinafter
referred to as "domain") indicating a location subject to a task
(specifically, an intended location or a location of interest). In
the embodiment, the domain is used as a common noun. A domain for a
task can be constructed by defining a location subject to the task.
For example, consider the task "Watch a parade." The location
subject to the task may be defined as a "theme park." A domain may
be considered as one of attributes of a task.
The data item "task phase" is information indicating whether each
task is accomplished in an executing phase or in a planning phase.
A task accomplished in the executing phase (or a task in the
executing phase) is a task expected to be accomplished in a domain.
On the other hand, a task in the planning phase is a task expected
to be accomplished in other locations than the domain. A task which
is expected to be accomplished in a location independent of domains
is applicable to both the executing and planning phases.
For example, the task "Reserve seats in a movie theater" is
expected to be accomplished in other locations than a "movie
theater," i.e. the domain of the task, and therefore, the task is
in the planning phase. Similarly, the task "Buy a booklet" is
expected to be accomplished in a "movie theater," i.e. the domain
of the task, and therefore, the task is in the executing phase.
Further, the task "Search for titles now on screen" may be
accomplished in either a "movie theater," i.e. the domain of the
task, or other locations than the "movie theater," i.e. the domain
of the task, and therefore, the task is independent of domains of
the task. In this case, the task "Search for titles now on screen"
is applicable to both the task in the executing phase and the task
in planning phase.
Under the data item "weather sensor," sensor information on a
circumstance under which the task would not be accomplished is
written. For example, the task "Watch a parade" corresponding to
the task ID "2000" is not likely to be accomplished if the sensor
information obtained from the weather sensor indicates "It is
raining." The data item "weather sensor" is used to avoid
accomplishing a task. Other than the data item "weather sensor,"
data items on sensors which measure environmental conditions around
the user may be provided in the task model DB 102. For example,
data items for a humidity sensor and a noise sensor may be
provided.
[1.1.2. Functional Configuration]
The functional configuration as shown in FIG. 3 is implemented in
the task selection assistance server 100 by the hardware and
software provided in the task selection assistance server 100 as
described above. Functions of each component will be described
below.
A user location information obtaining portion 208 obtains user
location information indicating a user location. In the embodiment,
the user location information obtaining portion 208 obtains the
user location information from a location sensor such as a global
positioning system (GPS) or the like provided on the portable
terminal 101 belonging to the user.
A domain candidate determining portion (attribute candidate
determining means) 210 determines domain candidates to be presented
to the user from among domains stored in the task model DB 102. At
this time, the domain candidate determining portion 210 determines
domains to be preferentially presented to the user based on the
user location information if the user location information
obtaining portion 208 can obtain the user location information. The
domain candidate determining portion 210 then rearranges domains so
that domains to be preferentially presented to the user are located
at higher level and/or excludes domains with lower priority from
domains to be presented to the user to generate the domain
candidates to be presented to the user.
A domain retrieving portion 206 retrieves domains from the task
model DB 102 under instructions of the domain candidate determining
portion 210.
A domain candidate transmitting portion 201 transmits domain
candidates determined by the domain candidate determining portion
210 to the portable terminal 101 belonging to the user in order to
present them to the user.
A user selected domain obtaining portion (user selected attribute
obtaining means) 203 obtains a domain selected by the user from the
domain candidates which have been determined by the domain
candidate determining portion 210 and transmitted to the portable
terminal 101 by the domain candidate transmitting portion 201.
A task phase determining portion 207 determines a phase of the task
desired by the user (i.e. whether the task is in an executing phase
or in a planning phase) based on both the user location information
obtained by the user location information obtaining portion 208 and
the domains obtained by the user selected domain obtaining portion
203. In the embodiment, the task phase determining portion 207
determines that the user desires a task in the executing phase if
the user location corresponds to the domain selected by the user,
and otherwise, determines that the user desires a task in the
planning phase.
A user query obtaining portion 204 obtains a query inputted by the
user operating the portable terminal 101 to search for a desired
task.
A sensor information obtaining portion 209 obtains sensor
information measured by sensors which measure environmental
conditions around the user.
A task candidate determining portion 211 determines task candidates
to be presented to the user from among tasks stored in the task
model DB 102 based on the domains obtained by the user selected
domain obtaining portion 203. At this time, the task candidate
determining portion 211 determines tasks to be preferentially
presented to the user based on at least one of the user location
information obtained by the user location information obtaining
portion 208, the task phase determined by the task phase
determining portion 207, the query obtained by the user query
obtaining portion 204, and the sensor information obtained by the
sensor information obtaining portion 209, to rearrange the tasks
and/or narrow down the task candidates.
A task retrieving portion 205 retrieves tasks from the task model
DB 102 under instructions of the task candidate determining portion
211.
A task candidate transmitting portion 200 transmits task candidates
determined by the task candidate determining portion 211 to the
portable terminal 101 in order to present them to the user.
A user selected task obtaining portion 202 obtains a task selected
by the user operating the portable terminal 101 from the task
candidates transmitted by the task candidate transmitting portion
200.
[1.2. Configuration of Portable Terminal]
The configuration of the portable terminal 101 will now be
described. The portable terminal 101 has wireless data
communication functions. Terminals corresponding to the portable
terminal 101 include a cellular phone, a personal handyphone system
(PHS), a personal digital assistance (PDA), and the like.
The portable terminal 101 is provided with a CPU, a memory, a
wireless communication interface, various sensors including a GPS
receiver and weather sensor, a display, operation keys, and various
types of software stored in the memory. The functional
configuration as shown in FIG. 4 is implemented by the above
hardware and software provided in the portable terminal 101.
Functions of each component will be described below.
A location sensor information obtaining portion 514 obtains user
location information from a location sensor such as a GPS provided
on the portable terminal 101. Other than the GPS provided on the
portable terminal 101, for example, location information from a
base station of the area where the portable terminal 101 resides,
user inputted information from the portable terminal 101, another
GPS receiver which the user separately carries, and the like may be
used as means for obtaining the user location information.
A location sensor information transmitting portion 506 transmits
the user location information obtained by the location sensor
information obtaining portion 514 to the task selection assistance
server 100.
An alternative sensor information obtaining portion 515 obtains
sensor information from environmental measurement sensors (such as
weather sensor, other than the location sensor) provided on the
portable terminal 101. An alternative sensor information
transmitting portion 507 transmits the sensor information obtained
by the alternative sensor information obtaining portion 515 to the
task selection assistance server 100.
A domain candidate receiving portion 501 receives domain candidates
from the task selection assistance server 100. A domain candidate
display portion 508 displays a list of domain candidates received
by the domain candidate receiving portion 501 on a display of the
portable terminal 101.
When the user operates the operation keys on the portable terminal
101 to select a desired domain from the domain candidates displayed
on the display, a user selected domain obtaining portion 512
obtains the selected domain. A user selected domain transmitting
portion 504 transmits the domain obtained by the user selected
domain obtaining portion 512 to the task selection assistance
server 100.
A task candidate receiving portion 502 receives task candidates
from the task selection assistance server 100. A task candidate
display portion 509 displays a list of task candidates received by
the task candidate receiving portion 502 on the display of the
portable terminal 101.
When the user operates the operation keys on the portable terminal
101 to select a desired task from the task candidates displayed on
the display, a user selected task obtaining portion 510 obtains the
selected task. A user selected task transmitting portion 503
transmits the task selected by the user to the task selection
assistance server 100.
A user query obtaining portion 513 obtains a query inputted to the
portable terminal 101 by the user. A user query transmitting
portion 505 transmits the query obtained by the user query
obtaining portion 513 to the task selection assistance server
100.
[2. Operation]
Processes of determining domain candidates and determining task
candidates handled by the task selection assistance server 100 in
the above configuration will now be described.
[2.1. Process of Determining Domain Candidates]
The process of determining domain candidates handled by the task
selection assistance server 100 will first be described with
reference to a flow chart shown in FIG. 5. In the process of
determining domain candidates, the task selection assistance server
100 determines domain candidates to be displayed on the portable
terminal 101, upon a connection request by the user from the
portable terminal 101 to the task selection assistance server
100.
The task selection assistance server 100 first receives the
connection request from the portable terminal 101 belonging to the
user (step S101).
The domain retrieving portion 206 refers to the task model DB 102
and retrieves domains stored in domain columns. The domain
candidate determining portion 210 specifies the domains retrieved
by the domain retrieving portion 206 as domain candidates (step
S102).
Then, the task selection assistance server 100 determines whether
or not the portable terminal 101 has a location sensor such as a
GPS (step S103). If the user location information obtaining portion
208 does not receive user location information from the portable
terminal 101 and it is determined that the portable terminal 101
does not have a location sensor (No at step S103), the domain
candidate determining portion 210 cannot narrow down domain
candidates using a current user location, and therefore specifies
the domain candidates, which have been specified at step S102, as
final domain candidates to be presented to the user. The domain
candidate transmitting portion 201 transmits the domain candidates
specified by the domain candidate determining portion 210 to the
portable terminal 101 in order to present them to the user (step
S107).
On the other hand, if the portable terminal 101 has a location
sensor, and user location can be obtained by the location sensor
information obtaining portion 514 in the portable terminal 101 (Yes
in step S103), the user location information obtaining portion 208
in the task selection assistance server 100 receives the user
location from the portable terminal 101 (step S104).
The domain candidate determining portion 210 instructs the domain
retrieving portion 206 to retrieve domains corresponding to the
user location information, which has been received at step S104,
from the domain candidates obtained at step S102 (step S105). At
this point, the domains may "correspond to" the user location
information, for example, when the lexical concept of a location
indicated by the user location information resides in the lexical
concept of the domain, when the user location indicated by the user
location information matches the domain, and when a distance
between a location indicated by the user location information and a
location indicated by the domain are within a predetermined
range.
The domain candidate determining portion 210 specifies the
retrieved domains as domains to be preferentially presented to the
user, and rearranges domain candidates so that the specified
domains are located at higher level in the domain candidates
extracted at step S102 (step S106). The domain candidate
transmitting portion 201 transmits the domain candidates rearranged
by the domain candidate determining portion 210 to the portable
terminal 101 (step S107). The process of determining domain
candidates is thus completed.
A specific example of operation for the process of determining
domain candidates as described above will now be described. It is
assumed here that the task model DB 102 stores data as shown in
FIG. 2, and the domain retrieving portion 206 has obtained all
domains "movie theater," "theme park," and "in town" from the task
model DB 102 at step S102. The domain candidate determining portion
210 specifies these obtained domains "movie theater," "theme park,"
and "in town," as domain candidates.
In addition, the portable terminal 101 has a location sensor, and
the user location information obtaining portion 208 has received a
user location information "movie theater" at step S104.
The domain candidate determining portion 210 instructs the domain
retrieving portion 206 to cause the task model DB 102 to be
referenced to, and causes a domain corresponding to the received
user location information "movie theater" to be retrieved from the
domain candidates "movie theater," "theme park," and "in town"
obtained in the step S102 (step S105). At this time, the domain
corresponding to the user location information "movie theater" may
be a "movie theater." When a user is in a "movie theater," the user
is likely to choose a task which may be accomplished in the "movie
theater." Therefore, the domain candidate determining portion 210
at this time rearranges the domain candidates "movie theater,"
"theme park," and "in town," in this order (step S106). The domain
candidate transmitting portion 201 transmits the domain candidates
rearranged by the domain candidate determining portion 210 to the
portable terminal 101 (step S107).
The domain candidate receiving portion 501 in the portable terminal
101 receives the domain candidates, and the domain candidate
display portion 508 displays the domain candidates.
Alternatively, to preferentially present domains to the user, items
with lower priority may be omitted in the display through a
predefined maximum number of displayed items, in addition to
rearranging domains in descending order of priority as described
above.
[2.2. Process of Determining Task Candidates]
Then, the process of determining task candidates handled by the
task selection assistance server 100 will be described with
reference to FIG. 6. In the process of determining task candidates,
the user selects a desired task from the domain candidates, and
then task candidates are determined based on the selected
domain.
The user first operates the portable terminal 101 to select a
desired domain from the domain candidates displayed on the display.
In this way, the user selected domain obtaining portion 512 in the
portable terminal 101 obtains the domain selected by the user, and
the user selected domain transmitting portion 504 transmits the
domain obtained by the user selected domain obtaining portion 512
to the task selection assistance server 100 (Yes at step S201).
The user selected domain obtaining portion 203 in the task
selection assistance server 100 receives the domains transmitted
from the portable terminal 101 (No at step S203, step S208).
It is assumed here that, the user selected domain "movie theater"
is received at step S208. It is also assumed that the portable
terminal 101 has a location sensor, and the user location
information "movie theater" has been obtained from the portable
terminal 101 at step S202.
The task retrieving portion 205 refers to the task model DB 102,
and retrieves tasks which are associated with domains corresponding
to the domain "movie theater" selected by the user and are stored
in the task model DB 102. The task candidate determining portion
211 specifies the retrieved tasks as task candidates (step
S209).
At step S210, the task phase determining portion 207 determines
that the user desires a task in the executing phase based on the
user selected domain "movie theater" and the obtained user location
information "movie theater," because the user desires a task
related to a "movie theater" while in a "movie theater," and
therefore it is considered that the user is likely to desire a task
which can be accomplished in the "movie theater."
On the other hand, if the user selected domain obtaining portion
203 receives a user selected domain "theme park" at step S208, the
task phase determining portion 207 determines that the user desires
a task in the planning phase based on the domain "theme park" and
the user location information "movie theater," because the user
desires a task related to a "theme park" while in a "movie
theater." Therefore, it is considered that the user is not likely
to desire a task which can be accomplished in the "movie theater,"
and is likely to implement a certain plan in relation to the "theme
park."
If the domain "movie theater" is obtained at step S208, at step
S211, the task candidate determining portion 211 instructs the task
retrieving portion 205 to first cause a topmost task in terms of
the domain "movie theater" to be retrieved from the task candidates
obtained at step S209. In this case, a task "Go to a movie" is
applicable.
Then, the task candidate determining portion 211 instructs the task
retrieving portion 205 to cause the task model DB 102 shown in FIG.
2 to be referenced to, and causes tasks which have a parent task
"Go to a movie" and are in the executing phase to be retrieved, in
terms of the domain "movie theater." In this case, tasks "Have a
meal during a waiting time" and "Buy a booklet" are applicable.
Then, task candidate determining portion 211 also causes tasks
which are applicable to both the executing and planning phases to
be retrieved. In this case, "Search for titles now on screen" is
retrieved. However, the user might possibly desire a task which is
in the planning phase instead of the executing phase at this point.
Therefore, it is assumed here that the task candidates are
rearranged according to the determination at step S210 in
descending order of possibility that the task may be selected (step
S212). In this case, the task candidates are rearranged into the
order "Have a meal during a waiting time," "Buy a booklet," "Search
for titles now on screen," "Search for a movie theater," "Reserve
seats in a movie theater," and "Search for a route to a movie
theater" from the top. At step S217, the task candidates are
transmitted to the portable terminal 101, and the display of the
portable terminal 101 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 7.
In this way, rearranging the task candidates enables tasks in the
executing phase, which may be accomplished in the "movie theater,"
to be located at higher level. This may help a user to select a
task.
On the other hand, if the domain "theme park" is selected at step
S208, the task candidate determining portion 211 similarly at step
S211 instructs the task retrieving portion 205 to first retrieve a
topmost task in terms of the domain "theme park" from the task
candidates obtained at step S209. In this case, a task "Enjoy in a
theme park" is applicable. Then, the task candidate determining
portion 211 causes tasks which have a parent task "Enjoy in a theme
park" and are in the planning phase to be retrieved, in terms of
the domain "theme park." In this case, a task "Search for a route
to a theme park" is retrieved. Then, tasks which are applicable to
both the executing and planning phases are retrieved. In this case,
a task "Watch a parade" is retrieved. However, the user might
possibly desire a task which is in the executing phase instead of
the planning phase at this point. Therefore, it is assumed here
that the task candidates are rearranged according to the
determination at step S210 in descending order of possibility that
the task may be selected (step S212). In this case, the task
candidates are rearranged into the order "Search for a route to a
theme park," "Watch a parade," and "Have a meal during a waiting
time" from the top. In this way, rearranging the task candidates
enables tasks in the planning phase, which may be accomplished in
the "theme park," to be located at higher level. This may help a
user to select a task.
If the portable terminal 101 does not have a location sensor, the
task retrieving portion 205 refers to the task model DB 102 and
selects all tasks having a domain selected by the user at step
S209. Because the task phase cannot be determined, the task
candidates are not rearranged based on the task phase as described
above.
The task candidate transmitting portion 200 transmits the task
candidates rearranged by the task candidate determining portion 211
to the portable terminal 101 to present to the user (step
S217).
The task candidate receiving portion 502 in the portable terminal
101 receives the task candidates, and the task candidate display
portion 509 displays the task candidates on the display of the
portable terminal 101.
To present task candidates to the user, items with lower priority
may be omitted in the display through a predefined maximum number
of displayed items, in addition to rearranging tasks in descending
order of priority as described above.
Description will now be made of further narrowing down tasks after
the user selects a task. For example, consider that the user
selects the task "Have a meal during a waiting time" from the task
candidates displayed on the display, after the user has selected
the domain "movie theater." The user selected task obtaining
portion 510 in the portable terminal 101 obtains the task selected
by the user, the user selected task transmitting portion 503
transmits the task obtained by the user selected task obtaining
portion 510 to the task selection assistance server 100.
The user selected task obtaining portion 202 in the task selection
assistance server 100 receives the selected task from the portable
terminal 101 (Yes at step S203, step S204).
Then, the task candidate determining portion 211 instructs the task
retrieving portion 205 to refer to the task model DB 102 and
retrieve a child task of the task "Have a meal during a waiting
time" whose domain matches the "movie theater" (step
S205.fwdarw.Yes at step S206.fwdarw.step S207). In this case, the
task candidates are "Have a snack in a coffee shop," "Have a meal
in a fast food restaurant," and "Buy a snack in a movie
theater."
The process of rearranging the task candidates is similar to that
as described above. Specifically, whether a task desired by the
user is in the executing phase or the planning phase may be
determined based on both a domain selected by the user and user
location information obtained from a location sensor, and
therefore, tasks are rearranged in the order of tasks matching the
phase desired by the user (steps S210 to S212). In this example,
the domain is a "movie theater" and the user location information
is also "movie theater." This, therefore, suggests that the user
needs a task in the executing phase, and task candidates are
rearranged into the order "Buy a snack in a movie theater," "Have a
snack in a coffee shop," and "Have a meal in a fast food
restaurant." These task candidates are transmitted from the task
candidate transmitting portion 200 to the portable terminal. They
are received at the task candidate receiving portion 502 in the
portable terminal, and the task candidate display portion 509
displays them on the display of the portable terminal 101. FIG. 8
shows an example of a screen displayed on the display of the
portable terminal 101.
If the portable terminal 101 has an environmental measurement
sensor such as a weather sensor (Yes at step S213), the alternative
sensor information obtaining portion 515 in the portable terminal
101 obtains sensor information from the environmental measurement
sensor and the alternative sensor information transmitting portion
507 transmits the sensor information to the task selection
assistance server 100.
The sensor information obtaining portion 209 in the task selection
assistance server 100 receives the sensor information from the
portable terminal 101 (Yes at step S213) Then, the task candidate
determining portion 211 instructs the task retrieving portion 205
to refer to the "weather sensor" column in the task model DB 102
and retrieve tasks which match the received sensor information from
task candidates. The task candidate determining portion 211
rearranges the task candidates so that the retrieved tasks are
located at lower level (step S214). For example, if the domain
"theme park" is selected and the sensor information "It is raining"
for the weather sensor is received, the task candidates are
rearranged into the order "Search for a route to a theme park,"
"Have a meal during a waiting time," and "Watch a parade" from the
top, and transmitted to the portable terminal 101.
If the portable terminal 101 has a query input function, the user
query obtaining portion 513 in the portable terminal 101 obtains a
user query, and the user query transmitting portion 505 in the
portable terminal 101 transmits the query to the task selection
assistance server 100.
The user query obtaining portion 204 in the task selection
assistance server 100 receives the query from the portable terminal
101 (Yes at step S215). Then, the task candidate determining
portion 211 instructs the task retrieving portion 205 to refer to
the task model DB 102 and retrieves tasks, which text-match for the
received query, from the task candidates. The task candidate
determining portion 211 rearranges the task candidates so that the
tasks which at least partially text-match for the query are located
at higher level in the task candidates (step S216). For example, if
a query "parade" is inputted in the above example, displayed items
are rearranged into the order "Watch a parade," "Search for a route
to a theme park," and "Have a meal during a waiting time" from the
top. The task candidate transmitting portion 200 transmits the task
candidates to the portable terminal 101 (step S217).
In this way, presenting task candidates which have been narrowed
down with a location subject to a task and/or which have been
prioritized relative to each other to the user allows the user to
easily specify a desired task. This may help a user to select a
task.
As described above, the task selection assistance server 100 first
determines domain candidates to be presented to a user, and then
narrows down task candidates based on a domain selected by the user
from the determined domain candidates. Therefore, even when the
user uses the portable terminal 101, which is poor in operability,
to select a task, the user may easily find his or her desired task
for solving a problem, and burdens on the user may be alleviated in
selecting a task.
In addition, the user is allowed to narrow down domain candidates
and/or task candidates based on the user location obtained from the
location sensor, and therefore, optimal tasks may be presented to
the user depending on user location.
Further, tasks which are appropriate for the user task phase may be
presented based on user location information obtained from the
portable terminal 101 and domains selected by the user, and
therefore, burdens on the user may be alleviated in selecting a
task.
Still further, because task candidates may be narrowed down using a
query specified by the user, burdens on the user may be alleviated
in selecting a task.
In addition, sensor information obtained from the various
environmental measurement sensors such as a weather sensor provided
on the portable terminal 101 may be used to narrow down task
candidates which are appropriate for environmental conditions
around the user, and therefore, burdens on the user may be
alleviated in selecting a task.
[3. Variations]
Although embodiments according to the invention have been described
above, the present invention is not intended to be limited to such
embodiments, and many variations may be possible within the scope
of technical ideas thereof. For example, the following variations
may be conceivable:
(1) In the above embodiments, although the task selection
assistance system has been described as being composed of the task
selection assistance server 100 and the portable terminal 101, the
configuration of the task selection assistance system is not
limited to this. For example, the task selection assistance system
may be composed only of the task selection assistance server 100.
In this case, the user could use a keyboard and/or a display
provided on the task selection assistance server 100 to select a
task instead of using the portable terminal 101. The user may carry
equipment such as a GPS receiver and a gyro, and transmit user
location information from the equipment to the task selection
assistance server 100.
Alternatively, the portable terminal 101 may have all the function
of the task selection assistance server 100 according to the
embodiments as described above. In this case, the portable terminal
101 would correspond to a "task selection assistance apparatus" in
claims.
Alternatively, in the above embodiments, although the hard disk
device provided on the task selection assistance server 100 has
been described as storing the task model DB 102, the task selection
assistance server 100 and the task model DB 102 may be separate
devices. In this case, both the task selection assistance server
100 and the task model DB 102 would correspond to a "task selection
assistance apparatus" in claims.
(2) In the above embodiments, although the "attribute information"
has been described as being a domain indicating a location subject
to a task, the "attribute information" is not limited to this, and
may be any information with which the task candidates may be
narrowed down. Possible attribute information includes, for
example, a period of time and a season, in addition to the task
phases and weather as described above.
When a user uses the portable terminal 101 to select a task,
burdens in selecting a task may be more effectively alleviated if
the "attribute information" is a domain. This is because the task
selection assistance server 100 can appropriately determine domain
candidates and/or task candidates to be preferentially presented to
the user based on user location information received from the
portable terminal 101, which indicates the user location, and
transmit the determined domain candidates and/or task candidates to
the portable terminal 101. Therefore, even when the user uses the
portable terminal 101, which has a small screen and is poor in
operability, the user may easily find his or her desired task.
(3) In the above embodiments, although description has been made of
the task phase including an executing phase and a planning phase,
the task phase is not limited to these, and tasks in various phases
may be defined. For example, a task "Relax in a bar next to a movie
theater," which is in an ending phase and corresponds to the domain
"movie theater," may be defined.
The present invention may be utilized in any fields where it is
advantageous to alleviate burdens on a user in selecting a task by
means of task attributes such as a domain and help the user to
efficiently select a task.
* * * * *